ᐅ Single-Family Home – New Construction Project from Day One – And the Planning Begins

Hello dear community,

For the past few weeks, I have been following this forum and have already gathered some valuable tips for our own planning.

I would like to use this thread to keep you updated from the very first day of planning until moving in. I hope to receive some valuable advice from the community and that this thread can also serve as a guide for other first-time homebuilders.

Now, a bit about our building project:

As mentioned, we are still quite early in the process...

It all started, as it probably does for most, with requesting a catalog from a prefabricated house company. In our case, it was FingerHaus around mid-December.

This was followed by a phone call with a sales representative from the mentioned company and arranging a first consultation. This appointment is scheduled for Sunday, 09.02.2020.

Since then, we have been intensively working on budget planning, possible floor plans and building plots, as well as ideal typical living space layouts.

So far, we have not purchased a plot yet. However, we are in contact with a municipality that is currently planning an expansion of a new residential area. Fortunately, this allowed us to help decide the size, location, and shape of our future plot. Our desired plot is reserved for us.

Key details of our planned single-family home:
– Location: Southwestphalia, Siegen-Wittgenstein district
– Living area: 179 sqm (1,925 sq ft)
– Concrete slab foundation
– Gable roof
– 1.5 stories with gable roof
– Single garage with extended length for tools/storage room

Our budget:
– Plot including property transfer tax: 70,000 EUR
– Construction costs: 470,000 EUR
– Additional construction costs including earthworks: 70,000 EUR

Our schedule:
– By May 2021: Selection of the construction company
– By July 2021: Contract signing, building permit / planning permission application
– By July 2023: Completion of construction work
– By October 2023: Completion of owner-performed work (painting and flooring) and move-in

We understand that the start of construction depends on the delivery time of the prefab house company, which can vary between 6 and 24 months.

We have now selected 8 different companies with whom we want to conduct initial meetings:
– FingerHaus
– Hanse Haus
– SchwörerHaus
– Bien-Zenker
– Schäfer Haus (contact via family)
– Büdenbender Haus
– WeberHaus
– a local developer

After these initial talks, we want to proceed with more detailed discussions with 4 of these providers.

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What should we pay attention to during the initial meetings? What is particularly important? Should we disclose our budget to the sales representatives?

DaSch17 schrieb:

What is especially important?

Hello,

...that prefab house manufacturers are not the only option, or where does this “stiffening” for this type come from?

In initial meetings, it’s usually just casual conversation, getting a sense of the company’s representative and how they present themselves. You won’t be discussing numbers yet. Since you don’t have a building plot, there won’t be any commitments or more in-depth discussions from their side.

You have a lot of time. I would primarily use it to gather and organize your lifestyle preferences and the resulting functional and non-functional requirements. How do you want to live in your new home? What do you enjoy doing? What does a typical weekday and weekend routine look like for you? What aesthetics do you both like? …

With the answers to these questions, you can have much more focused discussions with suppliers and develop criteria to evaluate proposals and concepts.

In my view, a private house is a container for the lives of its residents—a kind of provider for well-being. A client who does not clarify the criteria for their well-being before starting construction, in my opinion, skips the most important part of the planning process.

I find it confusing that you don’t have a plot yet but already know that the house should be 179 m² (1,928 sq ft).

Stay open to everything and gather information.
Show homes, consultation meetings, trade fairs, open construction sites

Determine your needs as Hampshire suggested. Start your house design/floor plan only after the site plan and building permit/planning permission are finalized.
And definitely do not sign anything now.

Hello DaSch17, have you already visited model homes from different builders?
We have been to several model home parks and looked at various houses there. After that, we gradually narrowed down our selection. When the numbers were finally on the table, we made our final choice.

Where in Siegerland are you planning to build? Our house will be constructed this year in Kreuztal.